Tennis

Japanese players Nishikori and Osaka win at French Open

ABS-CBN Sports on May 25, 2016 08:59 PM

Japan's Kei Nishikori returns in his second round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Wednesday, May 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

PARIS (AP) — Japanese players Kei Nishikori and Naomi Osaka both advanced to the third round at the French Open on Wednesday with straight-set wins.

Nishikori broke Andrey Kuznetsov six times and saved seven break points in a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win on Court 1.

The 2014 U.S. Open finalist, seeded fifth at Roland Garros, was a quarterfinalist in Paris last year.

Osaka, still 18 and playing in only her second major tournament, has yet to drop a set. She beat 32nd-seeded Jelena Ostapenko in the first round and defeated Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3, 6-3 in the first match on Court 14 on Wednesday.

Osaka also reached the third round in her first Grand Slam tournament, this year's Australian Open. She next plays 2014 finalist Simona Halep. The sixth-seeded Romanian rallied from 4-1 down in the first set to beat Zarina Diyas 7-6 (5), 6-2.